Geography
The geography of Kansas City is commonly mistaken as flat, but truth is, Kansas City has many rolling hills. In fact, the Kansas City proper is shaped as a bowl and its surrounding areas to the north and south is bedrock and limestone cliffs carved by glaciers. Kansas City has a total area of 318 square miles with 313.5 square miles of land and a mere 1.41% of water, or 4.5 square miles. The cliffs are good hiking places to enjoy the wonders of nature and are a favorite spot for photographers to capture the beauty through film or, with the advent of digital cameras, through pixels.
Kansas City is located almost in the exact geographic center of the United States and is at the middle of the second largest river in the country, the Missouri River and the Kansas River or Kaw River. This geographical layout gives Kansas a humid continental climat with extremes of hot and cold with mild to moderate precipitation. Winters can be harshly cold while summers are prone to be very humid what with the moist air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. Springtime and autumn on Kansas City though are mostly peppered with a few thunderstorms.
Kansas City is also located in “Tornado Alley” thus its propensity to experience powerful storms and tornadoes. This is due to its geographical position in the region where cold air from the Rock Mountains and Canada meet with the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. Plan your visits to Kansas during the most pleasant season so that you can fully enjoy the beauty of the city.
The geography of Kansas City itself, its cityscape, is divided into a system of about 150 neighborhoods each with their own histories as independent cities or the locations of historical events. The center of Kansas City, or downtown is in development. Downtown Kansas has many historical neighborhoods to visit like Westport and the River Market. Restaurant Row, or the 39th Street District is home to Kansas City’s largest selections of restaurants and boutique shops. Perfect for the hungry tourist and those looking to soak up Kansas culture since this is also the city’s center for literary and visual arts as well as bohemian culture.
Another place of interest in Kansas geography is Crown Center, the home of “Hallmark Cards” and an important downtown shopping and entertainment district. It is connected to union Station via walkways and is the place to visit for shopping aficionados. Another shopping spot for tourists is the Country club Plaza or more commonly known as “The Plaza.” Shoppers looking for a high-end outdoor shopping and entertainment complex will find that this part of Kansas City’s geography is the place to be. The Plaza is surrounded by many apartment buildings and condominiums.
Among the sites of Kansas City’s geography that is most famous, is its vast number of parks and parkways. Swope Park for example is a great place to relax and is on the nation’s largest in-city parks that is twice the size of New York’s Central Park. The park has a zoo, two golf courses, an amphitheatre and plenty of picnic grounds.